#they're probably addressing a noble

[ndostairlyrium]

underrated comedic duo

[jytan2018]

I read the comic in one sitting less than an hour after finishing the movie, and wow I have many Thoughts™.

- It's very obvious the two versions were meant to cater to different audiences AND tell different messages. I don't get why people are going "But the comic was better! It had more nuance!" just because Nimona was easier to root for in the movie.

- The comic was written back when ND Stevenson was still trying to process a lot of stuff, so all the characters are morally grey/straight up evil and the climactic battle is between a Ballister who regrets turning against Nimona, even if it was to save others vs. a Nimona who's too hurt to care if her lashing out was going to hurt innocent people.

- By the time Nimona got a movie adaptation, ND was a lot more secure in his sexuality, so the climactic battle was Nimona vs. the Director, the symbol of religious oppression and bigotry. It's not just about your friends turning on you because you're "too much" for them anymore, it's also about a society that would rather bring itself to the brink of ruin than coexist with you.

- (I totally get why people were upset about Ballister's surname change, though. Like come on, the media dubbing him Blackheart just to be mean was RIGHT THERE).

- Nimona's metaphor for not shifting is such a neurodivergent thing. Even in the comic, Nimona's parents insisting she's a monster who replaced their daughter is reminiscent of the changeling myth, which is what many parents thought their neurodivergent kids were—changelings who replaced their "real" children.

- Ambrosius being trained to cut off HIS BOYFRIEND'S WHOLE FUCKING ARM instead of merely disarming him is a very cop thing to do. As much as cops claim they're trained to de-escalate situations, their training still teaches them to treat everyone as a potential threat, and that level of constant vigilance can turn anyone into a trigger-happy/arm-choppy bastard. Even the Director, who can use a sword but probably hasn't actually fought someone in ages, STILL can't see Ballister reaching for the squire's phone without assuming he has a weapon.

- And on that note, the Queen getting killed simply because she was trying to reform the Institution and allow commoners to become knights? That's the best "no such thing as a good cop" metaphor I've seen. Because even if there ARE good cops and they ARE in leadership positions, the system will crush them before they make any meaningful change. It's not a good institution that turned rotten, it's an institution that only exists to spread its rot and refuses to be good.

- That's why Ballister's characterisation is so different in the movie vs. the comic. Comic Ballister had 15 years to come to terms with his trauma and the Institution's evildoing, while Movie Ballister is still freshly traumatised and hasn't found a way to define himself beyond the role he was assigned by the Institution.

- Not to mention Comic Ambrosius was not very noble to begin with and genuinely believed Ballister was better suited to villainy than heroism, while Movie Ambrosius never wanted the glory that came with his lineage in the first place and only antagonised Ballister because of indoctrination he needed to unlearn (which he did, all by himself, after witnessing the lengths the Director will go to just to kill Nimona).

- It really shows how important it is to surround yourself with loved ones who are open to change. Comic Ambrosius can love Ballister all he wants, but he'll still blast his arm off because he thinks Ballister deserved it anyway. Movie Ambrosius will stop to question what "the right thing" even means, even if he didn't love Ballister enough to defend him unconditionally.

I have so many more thoughts bubbling beneath the surface, but I'll probably address them some other day. In conclusion:

[ID: A pink-haired Nimona grinning evilly while holding up a knife.]

Watch Nimona. This is not a request.

Edit: Added more thoughts!

[ventique18]

Let me start with saying i love your blog really really much, this is something that has been rent free on my mind since Diasomia's arc started, is Malleus' father a dragon fae? I read the translations of chap 7 and i don't think i saw it mentioned, they just stayed vague on what kind of fairy he was, many fans started saying he was not a dragon, if that would be the case doesn't that mean Malleus is an half-blood!? The dragon bloodline isn't pure!?

Meleanor rejected many dragon suitors to marry the person she loved, whoever he was, why not say if Levan was a dragon or not, this is stressing me out. Especially since i saw the Crowley's theory.

Hi thank you so much for this question! I actually also wanted to address this, as I've seen some people (particularly on Twst EN Twitter and Reddit fandoms) who believe that the "Malleus is half Long because Levan is a Long" theory is canon. It's actually just one of the common theories which are:

He is a Long prince/noble.

He is simply a Raven fae. This is also why many believe that Levan is Crowley as both ravens and crows are collectively karasu in Japanese.

Let me put on a disclaimer that I'm leaning more on the theory that Levan might not necessarily be Crowley, but he is indeed a Bird Fae-- because his name does sound like Raven in the Japanese language, and the fact that Malleus' Platinum Jacket portrait has both Maleficent and her loyal raven Diablo in it. You are correct that there was never an explicit reveal on what he was though.

~ A short explanation on the first theory ~

So how did the first theory come to be? Because his official title in Briar Kingdom is 竜眼公 lit. Dragon Eye Lord. Some people have taken this literally and assumed that it means Levan is a dragon; more specifically, a Long. That's because the 竜 in his title is a kanji character and Twst happened to exactly distinguish in the Endless Halloween event an Asian Long 竜 (in kanji alphabet), and a western dragon ドラゴン (in katakana alphabet). Malleus specifies that he is a ドラゴン.

Now while theorizing that Levan is a Long is somewhat valid, it's less likely. Because a) it's common practice in Japanese to use kanji in formal titles and unusual to use katakana which is why ドラゴン was not used, which means b) Levan's "Dragon Eye Lord" title is just to indicate that he is Meleanor's eyes, as Lilia described him in the same chapter. This is also what Diablo's role is in the original movie.

~ Commenting on the theory that Levan is a Bird Fae ~

This is the most likely logical theory at this point, and you're correct that this means Malleus is half a dragon, half a bird. However, it's looking more and more like the fae are going with Mendel's Law of Inheritance with the Draconias' genes as extremely dominant that all other genes mixed in become recessive. Which means that while they're technically not pure-blooded dragons, the dragon genes will always appear in full view anyway so they might as well be pure. This is probably why Lilia mentions that the Draconias are "descended from dragons" rather than simply dragons. They may have varying fae species packed in their blood, but the dragon genes just completely cover them like a wallpaper lol.

Thanks so much for asking this! It was a fun write!

[lafaiette]

Also, can we talk about magic? i suppose they wanted to make the game more luring to new players, but magic used to be rare, closed under the lock and feared. Mages were feared and cosidered dangerous. Tevinter was an execption, not a general rule. How come people forgot only ten years ealier there was a regular war between mages and chantry, the very reason Inquisition was formed? Why is there magic, anciet elven magic behin every corner? It feels like reboot.

"It feels like reboot"

Because it is a reboot 💀 Or at least, it's the first step towards one.

Explaining how magic is seen in Thedas, all the different opinions and fears and hopes people have about it, would have been impossible in a single game clearly aimed at luring new players in. They put all the major pieces of explanation in the codex (one part of it is filled and complete since from the start of the game, because it's basically a catalogue detailing everything about Thedas), and let you play as a mage to your heart's content, with no strings, no responsibilities attached.

They tried to preserve some logic in Minrathous - there's mention of how Tevinter's families try to breed the perfect mages to rise in power and influence, so that's good. But you also see a "Noble" mingling with a "Civilian" among the fishermen, and telling her she shouldn't waste time and money on making things better for the poor people. What the hell is she doing there, then? Why isn't she in Minrathous proper, drinking wine and looking down on the poor districts?

Just around every corner, a few feet away from the closest tavern, Venatori are constantly putting up blood magic barriers. The same in the Necropolis, with the Venatori making camp just one door behind the main hub where the Mourn Watch is stationed. Everyone performs rituals, the Circles are barely mentioned, a Forbidden One is hiding behind a door in the Necropolis' main hall and no one ever noticed it before, not even Emmrich.

Statues of Fen'Harel and the Evanuris, elven relics and elven contraptions are hidden everywhere - everywhere. To show how vast and influential the elven empire was? That was probably the devs' intent. Does it always make sense? No. Is it for gameplay purposes, to fill the map with puzzles and stuff to find like in the 2000s? Obviously.

In Inquisition, there was an entire area of the Hinterlands ravaged by the Templars and rebel mages. The refugees were scared of walking the roads to find food because there was wild magic flying around. Rabid templars crazy on lyrium roamed the woods, and the Chantry was powerless.

Elven ruins were scattered around with sense, with a purpose, barely visible among the vegetation, forgotten and avoided, or almost forced to fuse with Chantry's buildings (just look at the Emerald Graves). There was a logic behind the NPCs' and props' locations in the world.

Here, there is simply no logic or consequence to anything ever. The Black Divine is never addressed, as far as I remember. Dalish clans have lost any distinction - the only elven faction you meet is that of the Veil Jumpers, which is a weird cocktail of elves who all know how bad the Evanuris are and random humans and Qunari. Yes, there are humans being allowed to guard ancient elven artifacts in a Dragon Age game. No, they are not called shem. Yes, they all get along swimmingly.

The Crows are not slavers and dangerous figures anymore - they're actually the heroes of Treviso! They treat their fledgling Crows with care and respect, no torture involved. Where did you hear such a preposterous idea? Zevran? Who's Zevran?

Taash says the Qun isn't a prison. How is that possible? They sent assassins after Bull when he defected. They hunt Vashoth and Tal-Vashoth if they dare leave, and if a sten loses his sword, he cannot return home, because his brethren would kill him, as "to a Qunari warrior, the sword is the soul."

So yeah, this was definitely supposed to be a reboot for Dragon Age, just like Andromeda was supposed to be one for Mass Effect. That's why everything falls flat.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Okay but can we talk about how Diavolo treats Lucifer in Nightbringer! I'm obsessed with the clear difference and what it implies! Because it's so good!

In S1, Diavolo and Lucifer are clearly friends and Diavolo is very openly infatuated with Lucifer but Lucifer has trauma related hangups about it and so puts a wall between them and is deferential to Diavolo. Their relationship is not equal despite the fact that they're friends

In the present (s2 to post s4) Lucifer and Diavolo are much better friends. Lucifer has moved past those previous hangups and due to that Lucifer is more open with him. Their relationship is that of equals now that Lucifer no longer hesitates to give his honest opinion to Diavolo rather than just being a yes man. Lucifer even punishes Diavolo, the way he does to his brothers + MC & Solomon, & honestly nothing shows the change in Lucifer's mindset more than that

Pre Nightbringer, which we see in the Glory Days Devilgram & in parts of S3, Angel! Lucifer distrusts and even dislikes Diavolo. Diavolo is still extremely infatuated. Over the course of the day they spend together, Lucifer relaxes around Diavolo and is more receptive to him. They're again on equal ground here

In Nightbringer, Diavolo's been unexpectedly thrust into the role of the ruler of his entire realm and he's struggling due to the tension with the celestial realm, with his citizens, with the more conservative noble demons. It's a year after the Fall and Lucifer and his brothers are clearly at Diavolo's mercy. They're war criminals with nowhere else to go. Since this is after Glory Days he's probably still just as infatuated with Lucifer. But he never shows it. He's friendly but also cool and professional and strict. Willing to enforce his law because there are many who doubt his abilities as a ruler. He's also nowhere near as confident as S1-4 Diavolo

He has a completely different attitude towards Lucifer, despite his possibly still existing feelings towards Lucifer, because:

1.) His ability as a ruler matters more and he can't be swayed by personal feelings

2.) Lucifer and he are very much not on equal grounds at the moment

Despite all of Diavolo's best intentions (most of which he is right about within the context of the type of story obey me is about) he tends to be very oblivious about other people's feelings until they are spelt out for him (something that is addressed in S3) but seeing him being so aware of the very delicate situation he's found himself in is amazing

Related posts:

Diavolo & Lucifer's relationship development

Lucifer's current attitude with diavolo

Diavolo & Lucifer being v. gay because as amazing as it is to see what they were like before, I miss their married era part 1

part 2

[y-rhywbeth2]

Elves: Social Life

Society, family, friends, dating and marriage, blah

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. There's a lot of lore; I don't know everything. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest. etc]

Physiology and quirks | Names & Clans and Houses || Pan-Cultural things: Social life | Time and Age Categories | Homes | Language | Art | Entertainment | Technology || Elven 'Subraces' still a wip || Philosophy and Religion & Pantheons || Half-elves | [WIP]

I hit the point where I'm tired of editing and checking sources, so here's some idea on how relationships work for elves whatever level of coherency it has. There might be more or contradictory information in other novels, but I do not have that much free time.

Mostly surface elves, mostly elves in elven lands. Though it also applies to elven diaspora communities (who do stick together and maintain their culture).

• Elven social life in general, plus greetings and etc

• Gender roles in society (or lack therof)

• Family and terminology

• Dating, sex and marriage That I guess you can use for ideas for your elven pcs or if you're dating the vampire who probably doesn't give a damn about elven social mores, the druid or whoever. idk how much elven social norms matter to Ketheric, but if you want to fuck the villainous old man you could give it a shot.

-

'Elves who lived even in reasonably close contact were so connected to each other through the Reverie and the Weave that they shared at least some shadow of each other’s emotional experiences.'

'As I would think, so shall ye; As I would feel, so shall ye; As I would do, so shall ye; As I would not harm, nor shall ye; As I would, so shall the clan; As the clan would, so shall I; As we would, so shall ye; The People are as one, and never shall I stray from this, nor shall ye, for to digress is to diminish you and your People.' - The Code of the People

There's a balancing act involved in elven societies where personal freedom is greatly prized but at the same time they're very community-centric cultures.

An elf is an individual part of many things: their House, their settlement, their environment, the People as a whole (which includes the Seldarine). The health and wellbeing of all of these things is the health and wellbeing of you, as your elders will teach you growing up.

Regardless of blood relation elves will usually address an elf of same rank and age as siblings; 'brother,' 'sister,' etc. Another term for a young (surface) elven stranger is 'thaes.' Although insofar as I remember I think it's used to address an elf you don't know and just met with that term until you learn their name or title. There's a whole host of titles and honorifics for nobles, elders and important people.

A friend is 'ebrath,' for surface elves and 'abbil' for drow.

There are various nuances and rules governing how to address people, and you can get an idea of their personal opinion on somebody and their politics by whether they use your name and what titles of address they use when addressing another.

Elves prioritise their Clan/House allegiance first and foremost, their homeland second (be that Evereska, or the Wealdath, or Ched Nasad, or wherever), their subrace next, and then the elven people as a whole.

House politics is a whole other post, but suffice to say your House is usually your family, your political party and likely your employer with its own internal culture and laws that you follow, and you'll likely be working in the family business (or one of them). Your personal reputation affects your House reputation, and your House's reputation and the reputation and behaviour of your clanmates also affects your reputation and determines what doors are open or closed to you. If an alehouse is owned by a member of a rival House, or one of their allied Clans/Houses, don't expect service; if a village or hunting grounds is home to a rival House/Clan don't expect a warm welcome there.

The higher your personal rank and the rank of your family, the more the personal-community social symbiosis affects you. What counts as lessening or increasing personal and familial prestige varies by elven culture and what they value.

There's another balancing act in elven culture with really, really deep intimacy and also not intruding on another's personal space. There must be room for quiet and solitude and respecting the individuality of another in between the mind-melding and oversharing.

An elven social circle is often decided by hobbies and careers, where the elves gather together to learn from elves with skills they desire and debate and infodump about whatever hyperfixation they're absolutely obsessed about with those who share it (those who don't share these interests make poor conversation for each other). There will be months, if not years, where individual elves won't be seen or receptive to socialising because they're busy with whatever project they're working on.

Privacy is a concept, but it's not as strong as it is with non-elves. There is no nudity taboo, and a significant amount of elven magic used in daily life, even outside of communion, involves mind reading (usually for security reasons).

Your fuck ups will be remembered. Evereskans at least have no social taboo against plainly discussing the personal business and even the failures of others amongst themselves even if you're standing right there, so you will hear about it and your neighbours will know. It's taboo to be overly frank or cruel to you about it - and most are not intentionally being cruel, just matter of fact - but there will be reactions like pity and scorn all over.

The lack of privacy is actually one of the complaints elves often have about their own culture when it gets too invasive.

Elves are also very good at holding a grudge; forgiveness is not a virtue in a people who relieve their memories over and over every night, including any pain you've given them.

Their in-group thinking also lends itself too neatly to xenophobia. The Tel'Quessir are masters at the sport of us vs them, and choosing 'them' is a betrayal that can garner a response of mass hysteria and violence depending on the nature of the slight (real or perceived), although violence is significantly more likely from elven youth (aged under 100-250ish years old). Aiding an N'Quess against an elf? The height of betrayal.

An elven 'in-group,' usually their immediate community, is often tightly knit even if they don't like each other or spend much time together: the community's young are encouraged to grow up together and be educated together for the first 10-20 years, and shared reverie and the connections of the elven soul joined by the Weave and Sehanine provides a mild empathic link in the background which means that harming another elf in ones 'group' should rebound on the perpetrator to at least some extent. To harm your own is literally to harm yourself.

Elven friends and family usually commune and reverie together, allowing them to know the others' thoughts, memories and personalities almost as well as their own.

Expressing sadism and spite or engaging in violence amongst non-drow (and many dark elves too) is greatly frowned upon, it's considered 'lowminded' and the behaviour of the N'Quess. Even Lolthite drow frown on open violence and conflict within settlements, both for its disruptive effect and because it shows a lack of sense and skill (tavern brawls, military training and slum raids notwithstanding).

All that is far from saying that elves are incapable of resenting or harming other elves, as their long history of bloody disaster shows.

Relieving their memories in reverie means that elven relationships - the good and the bad - are long lasting. An elf remembers their grudges against you because every now and again they get a refresher where they literally reexperience the times you pissed them off. An elf stays in love with you because those early days and emotions stay fresh in their minds.

Exile is a great punishment, and elves encountering others marked such (whether they were exiled for something they did or self-exiled) respond with 'suspicion and hostility.' Exiled criminals and the most severely outcast often take up worship of Fenmarel Mestarine, patron god of said outcasts, and frequently pack up to live in the wilds alone. You can often spot why they're exiled because they often wear a personal token somewhere on their person symbolising it.

Elves usually expect their friendships and romances to be very emotionally intimate affairs where it's normal to know somebody's deepest fears and desires at a degree of knowledge that, say, humans would not volunteer. Friendships go deep. Aside from the racism that's one of the biggest contributors to their aloofness around non-elves. The time it takes to get to know some of them notwithstanding (humans in particular will be senile or dead before your newborn child is legally old enough to vote and elves like to take their time), the concept of losing such close loved ones in only a century or two (or worse, less than one) is devastating and they will relieve a life and loss for hundreds of years after their friends are gone. There's an argument amongst elves about whether a brief lifespan makes it all the more important to make use of that time and that at least they'll have the memories, or whether loving the 'shortlives' is a form of self-harm.

(While the traditional word for non-elves is N'Tel'Quessir, or N'Quess, in human lands the slang word aethen or 'the others' has caught on.)

Worse, N'Quess cannot commune, and so the spiritual connection and intimacy between elves does not exist. For elves, particularly elves not used to non-elves, this can be alienating.

Rule of thumb: Half-elves, gnomes and halflings are the most socially acceptable friends in that order. Elves and gnomes being the most culturally compatible N'Quess, with a respect for community, art and nature, as well as loving a good time. Humans and dwarves are in competition for the elven culture's least compatible, with dwarves generally winning since their cultures often have polar opposite values. Orcs and half-orcs - and other goblinoids -can expect to be viewed as vermin rather than people, though a half-orc might get an extremely racist and condescending congratulations on 'defying their base nature' or some shit. (Whatever elves on the whole think of the dragonborn has never really been discussed, and it's safe to say they don't like tieflings.)

There is a status, Sha'Quessir, the Elf-Friends, granted to non-elves who are loved by an elf (platonically or romantically) and perform some great service for the people which is rewarded with adoption. The individual is, for all social purposes, one of the People and must be treated with the same respect, with the price tag being that they must act as one of the people and share in their concerns and causes (like the grave-robbing of elven burial sites and tombs, the out of control deforestation and loss of elven homelands, etc). They're even allowed to live on Evermeet, and can be recognised by a token on their person called an elfrune.

In terms of politics it's usually a clash between the conservatives who want elvendom exactly as it is and 'always has been' with a clear distinction between the 'right people' and the others and what counts for a 'proper elf,' and the moderates and liberals who chafe under a millennia of tradition and/or think the Tel'Quessir need to join the rest of the world in the modern year before the oncoming future crushes them all.

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Manners:

Inclining/'bobbing' your head in acknowledgement, or making a brief bow is the equivalent of a handshake.

Elves do not have a tradition of shaking hands, finding it a 'horrific affront' to attempt to grab their hand. Probably something to do with communion usually being initiated by holding hands and the fact that the fingers and palms of the hands are extremely sensitive, so touching hands is probably significantly more intimate to an elf.

Just in general elves do not seem to appreciate being physically touched by people they don't know or trust, and laying your hands on an elf who isn't your friend or family might piss them off.

Elves also have a strong aristocratic bent, which plays a part in their sense of hierarchy (usually more 'gently' established than with non-elves, but present nevertheless).

An elf of lower standing cannot make eye contact with one of higher standing without permission. When a noble passes you part for them and may not overtake them; if traveling by flight, you may never fly higher than a noble.

Walk with the crowd and the flow of traffic, never against it.

A polite farewell is: 'Sweet water and light laughter ['til next we meet].' The response to which is: 'Back soon for soft songs and bright wine.'

When introducing somebody to another person/s you end the introductions with: 'May your meeting and parting be of equal pleasure.' To which the person you're introducing should say: 'My honour is brightened.'

A full formal greeting when approaching strange elves on the road (outside the bounds of civilisation) is translated as: 'Fair be our meeting, for our hearts are light and our swords sheathed, we hold peace in our hands and its light guides us.' Which is to be sung.

Welcome home is simply 'Glad homeagain.'

Pressing foreheads together seems to be a display of affection.

All elven cultures have a custom of exchanging gifts, where the character of the gifter is measured by the value of the gift (such things being judged primarily by their aesthetic beauty and any magic it contains, with its material value benign judged second). It's polite to offer a gift of equal value in return. For the original gifter to refuse the return token in exchange is viewed as odd.

Amongst the dark elves of Ilythiir an exchange of weapons was a display of trust, and sometimes a pledge of service/assistance should they ever be called on,' which may well still exist amongst modern dark elves. Although Menzoberranzan has a variant where you take another's weapon, display your skill with it and hand it back to illustrate 'I mean you no harm' as a peaceful greeting with strangers.

There's a tradition called the Rule of Saving: When one saves another's life, the saviour can invoke a debt which means that the individual owes them their life to do with as they please.

Gender roles:

Rule of thumb, due to their entire pantheon being genderfluid elves tend towards egalitarianism in their societies. If your gods encompass both male and female genders then it's hard to say one is lesser or greater, and some consider androgyny in mortal elves to be a sign of divine favour.

On the other hand that doesn't mean elven societies are totally free of nonsense (and horror).

Many societies also have a slight inclination towards matriarchy (dark elves infamously having more than a 'slight' inclination in the majority of cases); a woman's word often carries more weight in discussions if she chooses to weigh in. Evermeet in particular saw a shift towards matriarchy as Queen Amlaruil grew to become a beloved monarch and ended up with an inner council of advisors comprised of the female elders of the noble houses.

Dark elves are of course infamous for their matriarchies: Lolthites, Kiaransaleen and Eilistraeeans all favour - if not mandate - female leadership. Men are artisans and helpers, women are leaders.

On the flip side there are the patriarchal elven societies.

Aquatic elves have a patriarchal nobility.

At least one city of Vhaeraunites has ignored the part of their god's doctrine that says 'equality' and instituted the patriarchal mirror of Lolthite society.

And then there was the sun elven empire of Cormanthor (which was sun elven by origin and overarching culture, but had significant moon elven population), which was a nightmare where women would bitterly comment that they were good only for arm candy and providing heirs and that many elven men would say they didn't believe women had brains; women couldn't socialise with elves outside of their House without their patriarch's permission, and one woman had a nervous breakdown at the idea of confronting her husband on the grounds that he could very well beat her to death for talking back in public and throw her corpse out the window and then just get a new wife (he does later, hungover, threaten her with a horsewhip for challenging him).

So you know, fun times.

Mostly you're getting full gender equality.

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Family:

One's family, strictly speaking, is one's Clan (or House, if the family holds noble status (doesn't make every member a noble though)). Aside from your parents, siblings, first cousins, grandparents, uncles, aunts and such you have a network of in-laws, cousins and employees sharing your surname and playing a part in the family business/es. The largest Houses will have people scattered around the world that you've probably never met.

Ancestry is also a very important part of elven identity, and an elf will know the famous and infamous stuff their family got up to. If the fame came from heroism and great deeds then the family will obsess over it, if it's negative press then elves will carry the stigma or do their best to make sure the knowledge never sees the light of day (you do not want word getting around that you're descended from the Vyshaan or Dlardrageth, for example.)

That's your ancestry and Clan or House, but the immediate blood relations, and likely the people who raise you, are your Blesséd.

Due to their lifespans and low fertility rates, siblings rarely grow up together since it's likely that older siblings will be adults by the time they get any. Educating and watching over the family's children is often a task for the elderly, who can no longer work, so that they can still make use of their centuries of experience and contribute to the community.

Family lineage tracks matrilineal and patrilineal. Except for most drow, who only track matrilineal.

For the drow I only know of the words for mother and father ('Ilhar' and 'Ilharn')

For surface elves (for most of which there are no gender neutral variants given):

Parent: O Child: Sum Cousin: Tyss Cousins: Tyssir

Brother: Tan Sister: Nys Daughter: A'Sum Son: E'Sum Granddaughter by daughter: A'a'sum Grandson by daughter: E'a'sum Granddaughter by son: A'e'sum Grandson by son: E'e'sum Niece by sister (sister-daughter): A'Su'Nys Niece by brother ('brother-daughter): A'Su'Tan Nephew by sister (sister-son): E'Su'Nys Nephew by brother (brother-son): E'Su'Tan

Matrilineal line: Mother: O'Si Grandmother: I'Osi Grandfather: I'Osu Uncle: Osi'Tan Aunt: Osi'Nys

Patrilineal line: Father: O'Su Grandmother: U'Osi Grandfather: U'Osu Uncle: Osu'Tan Aunt: Osu'Nys

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Dating and marriage

'The love of an elf is a deep and precious thing. Misused or spurned, it can be deadly. Realms have fallen and been sundered for love, and proud elder houses swept away. Some have said that an elf is the force of his or her love, and all else just flesh and dross...' - Shalheira Talandren (who is a bard so is perhaps being a touch melodramatic as her trade demands)

Like many non-human people, elves referring to their sexual and romantic partners translate the terms in common as 'mates' and the act of sex as 'mating.' (Dwarves, orcs, dragons and vampires also refer to their SOs as mates... although that vampire was an elf, so maybe it's just certain vampires. I don't know about gnomes and halflings but it's the preferred terminology for many demihumans and nonhumans).

You can also call your partner damia, an endearment equivalent to 'darling' or 'sweetheart' or whatever.

This is one of those things where it depends on the writer, but apparently some degree of demisexuality is very common for elves, where it can be a cultural norm to be baffled as to why you'd lust after somebody when you have no affection for them.

'Her men, however, were staring at Takari with such a look of feral hunger [...] Under the circumstances, they could hardly have developed any feelings of love for her, so it was hard for an elf to understand why the mere sight of her naked body should inflame their passions.' - The Summoner.

Somebody wearing revealing clothing or dressed naked would not be seen as advertising a desire for sex, that's just how they're dressed.

They also apparently have lower sex drives, which I suppose could make sense for a longer-lived species.

Courting will involve trying to impress upon the object of your affection the sincerity and depth of your feelings with songs - or poetry if you've failed as an elf and really can't sing - and dancing.

If things are moving towards the erotic then the dancing starts to take on that tone.

There is a form of acrobatic dance amongst elves that involves the dancers wearing nothing but body oil and bells, tied to their bare limbs and beaded into their long hair (which is worn loose), and this dance will often be performed with the aid of a fly spell or some equivalent.

Such dances are actually used in public performances, so while they might be sexual (or not) they aren't necessarily seen as inappropriate (though they can get grumbles from sun elven elders about how back in their day they didn't have this kind of impropriety).

Just in general it seems like elves like bringing magic into the bedroom, but aerial sex seems a popular choice from what I've seen on elf sex.

And ears and apparently hands are erogenous zones.

'On the subject of giving pleasure to elven maids, [the diary] mentioned using one's tongue gently on the palms of the hands and the tips of the ears.' - Elminster in Myth Drannor (despite the 'maidens' part it applies to elves in general)

For lovers who decide to engage in Rapport/aleiryid and bind their minds and souls in a permanent empathic link, the terms 'spirit-deep mate' and 'life-mate' have been used. 'Aleiryid' itself may be a noun for such a partner, and can only be used to refer to a life-mate.

Elves, regardless of how committed they are - eternally psychically linked or no - still generally expect to be given their personal space just as with any other relationship between elves.

In terms of monogamy vs polygamy, sun and maybe moon elves may be more inclined to monogamy and green and wood elves towards polygamy.

Green elves, and by extension most wood elves, default to polyamory. Jealousy is perverse and will disapprove of displays of such possessiveness and flirting and love are just parts of the joys of life. Which isn't to say they don't feel it, but the green elven approach to a love rival is basically, to quote one character, '[they'll] have to share!' The sylvan elves of the High Forest usually dance in trios rather than pairs.

Moon elves probably vary on that cultural norm; there's been an occasion where a moon elf pov character can be read as uncomfortable with polyamory, but on the other hand the silver elves are also infamous for their love of freedom and hedonism, and said character notes his own moon elven father would not begrudge his green elven ex-wife her flirting. Also in moon elven pantheon Corellon has a Queen who is simultaneously three people, so there's a religious argument to be made for 'the gods approve of polyamory' I suppose. As oathbreaking is considered one of the greatest sins possible in moon elven cultures one imagines that infidelity (and definitely breaking your marriage vows) is also very high on the taboo list, regardless of what the relationship set up is - Fun is important, but if something matters enough to make a commitment for it you keep your fucking commitment.

The dark elves of Menzoberranzan have usually been portrayed as serial monogamists, with a side of 'women can fuck as many men on the side as they like.' Dark elves in general don't expect a pairing to last forever.

Sun elves, I'm not so sure. They have a very strong emphasis on lineage and house politics and frown on 'philandering' though so legitimate marriages, family duty and knowing who the parents are is important regardless of monogamy vs polygamy.

Marriage ceremonies are most popular during Midsummer celebrations.

Elopements are most popular on nights of the full moon, when Hanali is supposed to bless your union with good fortune.

In common elves stick to the translations of 'spouse,' 'wife,' 'husband.' 'Consort' crops up, probably refers to nobles spouses.

Between moon elves at least, marriage can be a very simple procedure: you weave a flower crown and place it on your lover's head. That's it, you're married now. You don't need any witnesses or officiants; the prince of Evermeet married his human girlfriend by placing a flower crown made of laurels on her head in the middle of the woods during a private moment. None of the nobility nor his mother approved of him having a human girlfriend nor would they have permitted it, but doesn't matter: flower crown. Generally though there is more ceremony surrounding weddings

There has also been mention of handfasting too, which may be a similar deal, just with trying ribbons around your enjoined hands rather than putting flower crowns on your head.

If you want to bring a high mage into it - which is unusual in the modern era, when they're almost extinct - marriages have also involved the arcane.

Marriages, formal and informal, are performed by priests of Hanali Celanil who are bound by their faith to help you regardless of what society thinks - all lovers must be protected. I suspect most marriages take place under the moonlight, since elves seem to be lunar-centric, but that's just an assumption.

Entering into u'aestar'kess was a popular marriage tradition in love matches, a magical linking much like Rapport/Aleirin, but the enjoined beings can - through concentrating - engage in true 'verbal' telepathic communication. If one of the bonded is in danger then their connection will also alert the partner, who will generally stop at nothing to get to them. Also unlike aleirin u'aestar'kess permits two bonds to exist rather than just one.

Creating an Aestar'Khol was also a popular way of getting married - the ritual wove an oath, in this case marriage vows, into tangible existence in the form of a stone the size of a fist and likely in the shape of a statuette, though a quicker casting will produce a rock covered in inscriptions of the vow. It also allows the spouses to know that their partners are faithful, because breaching contract causes the vowstone to shatter.

Some elves, namely nobles, do arrange marriages, it's a useful way of calling dibs on particularly promising mages, warriors, priests, artisans and etc by having them marry into your House. There's also historical precedent for crackdowns on arranged marriages because squabbling and intrigue over powerful wizards was getting idiotic. If your family picks out a spouse for you you don't have to marry them, but you may face social and financial repercussions from your refusal. Not always though; some nobles, even sun elves, have turned their nose up at tradition and married non-elves and had half-elven heirs without losing too much prestige.

A holy order in the service of Hanali, the Chaperones of the Moonlight Tryst, are rogues and rangers who are tasked with discretely safeguarding elven lovers from those who would interfere with them or use their relationship for some end (blackmail or some other intrigue, for example). They can also be called upon to help arrange secret meetings between star-crossed lovers and aid elopements.

[privatebooth]

What did I get myself into? Nobody even cares about those nobles and they don't really matter, but I decided that I want to address their presence for whatever reason. Ugh. Hope it was worth it!

Some of them actually felt some concern for Hawke, so Aveline had to assure them he'll be taken care of and it's all under control, please go back to your homes, nothing more to see here...

Meredith did make it into the Keep and is now watching how this heroic apostate is about to collapse.

Poor Bran can already feel the chaos that will ensue.

I'd like to think that Hawke and Isabela speak a little - you know to help him stay conscious. He'd probably crack some joke about... something. Just to show that he's not holding a grudge against her because it's all still her fault.

In the meantime Hawke is trying very hard to ignore the warmth radiating from Fenris because he can sense it very acutely. They're both trying to.

Varric, hurry up!

Previously

Next

[thewitchofbooks]

Cyril Rose ~ Facts

AN: I'm finally done with the important facts we know so far for both Cyril and Lucian, and since Cyril won, I'll post him first! Thank you very much to everyone who voted and to everyone reading this!

Warnings: All of the information is from the jp version of the game! Spoilers from Clavis' main Story, GW story sale bonus (detective), Clavis' 2nd birthday, Clavis' story events, Chevalier's 2nd anniversary winner party event story. Everything will be put under the cut:

The starting fact is his name. Cyril Rose was raised in a village in Obsidian, but when he joined the military, many said his last name sounded like he came from the country of roses.

Cyril and Clavis used to call each other "loser" when they first met during the war. Cyril did because he couldn't believe how someone can be like Clavis (putting his life on the line to save others, accepting everyone no matter what and a lot more), as well as how he could stay so calm during everything (but it turned more to teasing between them). Clavis was calling him a loser, because he didn't like how Cyril was ready to give up at that time and was able to help him regain his spirits and join Rhodolite's side.

Cyril is a very gentle and kind guy, but can also be funny with his snarky comments towards Clavis (something between two great friends)

Cyril calls Clavis an "idiot prince"

He has very bright red hair that are very noticeable and mentioned by other characters, (Chevalier, Sariel and more), including Emma.

Cyril doesn't have a lover (and Clavis made sure to remind him in the "Bittersweet Valentine" story event). Cyril told him to stop pretending as if he wasn't in the same position only a whole ago (Since Clavis' route released)

As confirmed in Clavis' 2nd birthday story, Cyril is a very fast runner and a very strong knight. He was able to run to the other side of the town with Emma in his arms (bridal style) and didn't stop at all (<- Emma was described "as light as a feather) and it was all to prank Clavis.) In Chevalier's 2nd anniversary No.1 story, we saw that he can match Chevalier in a sword fight, with fast and strong moves.

He knows how to help a woman get dressed and he can style hair buns, that look elegant and simple (Also from Clavis' 2nd birthday)

Him and Lucian are rumored as really good friends. It was said by Clavis, but he added that when they go out to drink, they're never seen sitting together on the same table. Also, Cyril was seen drinking grape juice while complaining to Rio and Emma about Clavis, while Luciam was most likely drinking alcohol (<-From the GW story sale bonus)

When that happened, he wasn't wearing any gloves (so he either took off his gloves because he wasn't working, or he doesn't wear any). He held Emma and Rio's hands in each of his, to guide them away from Clavis and he took them to Lucian's table.

According to Emma, his hands are rough from training, but very warm and safe.

Apparently, he tries every kind of new juice Clavis comes up with and that time, it was a new herbal juice (as punishment for sneaking from work). He didn't like it at all, yet he still drank it all.

They started bickering and while Emma was thinking that it looked like as if Cyril and Clavis were having fun, Lucian, after he used the mind reading skills he learned from Chevalier, nodded and agreed with her.

He is also very honest and loyal towards Clavis and the other princes (especially Chevalier)

He used to be just a third rate soldier in Obsidian, along with his friends Kai and Hugo. Hugo seems to be the youngest, since he uses honorifics to address Cyril (in the Japanese version). Cyril is probably the oldest of the three, or similar with Kai.

Gilbert wants him back to Obsidian, but Cyril refuses to betray Clavis, leaving Gilbert heartbroken.

The village where Cyril used to love was poor, but the situation wasn't as bad as the parts on the borders between Obsidian and Rhodolite, due to the corrupted nobles.

He is greatly respected by Chevalier, who saw his value. Chevalier knows his name, but prefers to use the nickname "Red head". Same with the others. Even Clavis understands that. Cyril also respects Chevalier, but he thinks he is scary.

He is the lead knight of the foreign affairs faction and he is the one training the knew knights (not the soldiers).

Chevalier trusts him enough to let him in his room and also casually speaks to him. Even though they were trying to keep it secret (them leaving their duties for the day and going for drinks), he somewhat talked about it to Chevalier. But Clavis was hiding in Chevalier's room, so he exposed them. That's why he made him drink that "juice" (<-GW bonus story)

In the "propose to you" story event (Clavis', which is coming soon in EN), Clavis and Emma were getting engaged with Chevalier as the witness. Chevalier didn't look up at them at all and only when they left, he looked at Cyril to answer that he wasn't staying and he was going home with a smirk (Clavis was sad/mad at Chevalier who wouldn't look at how beautifully dressed Emma was). Cyril called him a troublesome brother after he left.

Originally, he was mostly hanging out with Rio for said drinks, but when Emma is free, they let her tag along (<- The bar they go to is only for the court's servants, I'm pretty sure it's to talk about their employees at this point🤣)

Cyril knows that many little boys dream of becoming knights when they grow up, but he, himself, felt like the job he was doing doesn't have a purpose, because lately, he had only been collecting banana peels and cleaning after Clavis.

Just for this reason, Emma and Rio were thanking him for his hard work and looked at him as if he was their savior.

He also complains that the knights have to eat bananas all the time, but they don't keep them very full. He doesn't want to even mention the reason why they do that.

He has more than once said to Emma to use Clavis' wallet for expensive things.

Cyril actually gets very offended when he gets told that he is like a natural born knight. Clavis was the one who told him, when he was being "too sweet" towards Emma. Cyril warned him to never say that again.

He is picking up Clavis' lines. While I don't remember it being translated in the EN version of the game, in the JP this happened: (<- Clavis' route, when they met with the rebels at the borders)

Clavis:"I don't understand why they don't want to welcome such a beautiful man"

Cyril:"Please, stop saying that. It's not fashionable"

(The fashionable comment)

He is the same age as Clavis, so he is 29 years old!

AN: Thank you very much for reading until the end! I hope these facts were helpful! I personally recommend reading both ends of Clavis' upcoming proposal event for more Cyril content!

[aireterra]

Bsjsisjdbddhsj I just read Wilf's perspective from the H5Y SS (I found it on discord).

Ngl, I really felt like Wilf crushed Hanne's heart the second time she proposed but the first time she did, I felt as though Wilf really cared about her feelings. It's evident he did but...

His perspective is hard to read most of the times because he's either surrounded by people who works to undermine him or people who recognizes his naiveness but doesn't really properly address it or address it too late or in a way that doesn't really help or get across to him. I honestly feel bad for him despite how much people say how privileged he is.

Would it be bad for me to say that Barthold being executed is sort of a relief and Oswald being completely gone would be more favorable? It would be cruel to ask Wilf to distance the guy tho.

If anyone asked me who is the AoaB character I can't stand the most, I'd say Oswald. Maybe it's because I don't understand what he's trying to do tbh.

I'm worried that Wilf may not still understand what it means for him to become an archnoble. I do understand that he's focusing on what's best for the retainers he has but he failed to realize that Florencia's aim was for him to be near his parents and siblings still, and not just to surround him with "malice". Has he forgotten that Lamprecht is a Leisegang noble himself? I feel like his mindset and self-talk has already been dyed by his Veronica-faction retainers just like how Eckhart pointed this out about Lamprecht having such mindset. Wilf and Lamprecht are the same in a way that they're optimistic. Though Wilf's confidence has probably somewhat waned by that point.

He genuinely considers Ortwin as a friend. I still don't trust Ortwin and I really hope he's not just using him because that's just really sad idk.

I can't trace the timeline and MTL sucks but I remember being really disappointed with Wilf the second time Hanne proposed. I need to read another POV from him to understand him then.

MTL is just like noble communications (⁠〒⁠﹏⁠〒⁠)

[canmom]

l'aventure de canmom à annecy - épisode DEUX - dimanche

was a good first day of annecy. tomorrow I'll hopefully have a chance to get pictures off the camera and illustrate properly, but for a quick writeup...

today the festival events began halfway through the day, so I went for a little wander around the city in the morning! I visited the Palace de l'îsle, which is the building you're likely to see in every photo of annecy, at the fork in the river.

here's a photo of a photo and a drawing, which is all i have on my phone:

it's a pretty storied building, variously operating as a mint, a courthouse, and a prison. in the modern day, its lower floors are mostly devoted to the history of the building, while the upper floors are something like an industrial history of Annecy itself, which is not just a pretty old slice of medieval Europe to bait the tourists, but also was in the years from the French revolution up through the 20th century something of an industrial hub, hosting a loooong list of factories.

next stop was the castle! this castle sits on a hill overlooking the city, and it has been home to a variety of nobles, all of whom added bits, resulting in what the sign describes as 'architectural inconsistency'. i was hoping for more history but instead I mostly found art! lots of grand landscapes - I don't know enough art history to place them but from around the late 1800s. they were, frankly, bloody impressive, and I think I could learn a lot about composition, lighting, brushwork etc.... the top floor of the castle was devoted to contemporary artworks, so generally much more conceptual pieces - acrylic panels that cast shadows of bones, fingernails embedded in sandstone, that kind of thing. I'll fully admit this isn't really my scene so I didn't really get it, but I also didn't really have time to look around more since it was movie time!

this year the theme is Portugese animation, meaning there are seven entire programming blocks dedicated to Portugese stuff. accordingly, the first set movies I got to see was a collection of Portugese animated films by a duo called Abi Feijó and Regina Pessoa - who were in fact there in person, though since they addressed us in French I only got snatches of what they said. In any case, their work is super bold and dramatic.

the film that brought them together, and probably my favourite, was Os salteadores (1993) [The Outlaws] in which two passengers in a taxi discuss the partisans who fled Franco into Portugal during the Spanish civil war. The driver reveals that he ended up commanded to drive a truck with five captured partisans to the Spanish border. A comical scene in which the guards, afraid to untie the men, have to help them piss by hand turns very brutal when the men are executed by firing squad the moment they're turned over. The driver is haunted by this story years later. It's an intense film, full of strong chiaroscuro texture and inventive warps and perspective shifts - something they keep up throughout their other films.

my other faves from this block include Clandestino (2000) [Stowaway] in which a nameless stowaway makes a perilous journey along a rope to shore, menaced by his vivid imagination, and Tragic Story With Happy Ending (2005), a cryptically metaphorical story in which a girl has a deafeningly loud heartbeat and a yearning to fly as a bird. You know, that bird autism. She kinda maybe either becomes a bird or kills herself at the end! There is something quite funny about how this block is subtitled 'a happy story' - indeed the two do seem very happy to have found such a fulfilling creative outlet but all their stories are super dark! all were tremendously well made though and I hope I'll be able to run an animation night on them soon.

at this screening I was sat next to a guy called Diego, who handed me a list of Brazilian and South American animation, and was quite surprised I think that I could name two Brazilian animated films and even show him the long article I'd written on it x3 anyway thanks to him I've got lots of stuff to cover for next time we do Brazil!

after that it started raining pretty hard and didn't let up all evening. the upside is that the rain brings out a lot of pretty colours. the downside is that, expecting last year's brilliantly sunny weather, I totally neglected to bring a coat.

the next two screenings were also in Bonlieu Petite Salle - maybe Pathé isn't open yet. anyway, the other theme this year is animation and dance. This block focused on "using materials and the concept of shock". It was indeed pretty shocking. The coolest one I think was Ossa (2016) directed by Dario Imbrogno, a stop motion piece about a constantly shifting puppet where the armatures, lights and camera were all part of the performance. actually i can straight up embed this one off yt!

with the theme being dance, many of these were more non-narrative pieces, and all were without dialogue. which is not to say there were no stories to be seen! The Triangle Affair by Estonian director Andres Tenusaar was a pretty out-there one, depicting a world of hand-headed people where everyone moves in groups of 2-3. a window cleaner flirts with cleaners inside (there's a whole recurring bird poop cum visual metaphor); he's joined with a group of... prisoners? in stripey pyjamas, overhead lines carry bicycles around, a taxi driver talks to tram drivers, then some birds who are attempting to divide up the world with chalk are interrupted by cats; the birds trick the cats into jumping onto the windowcleaner causing all the aforementioned characters to fall off the building and die. that's the best i can describe it. i think the audio of this one might have damaged the bonlieu sound system because there were weird pops every so often after that.

there was an AI one - The Crow by Glenn Marshall from the UK. basically the director filmed themselves dancing and fed it into an AI that transformed it into images of crows. it got the most tepid applause of any film I saw today by far - and honestly it was not a very interesting film.

Chrysalis by Damien Serban and Yann Bertrand used a kinda cool looking decimate effect to portray the jerky motions of a butoh dance, including a cool sequence where the dancer's heartbeat becomes visible in the sand, but unfortunately it was way too long and outstayed its welcome.

then we get to Hipopotamy directed by Piotr Dumala from Poland. this one... hmmm. not sure how I feel! I assumed the idea was something based on greek myth, because it seemed like something the Greeks would come up with, but actually the idea is to portray humans acting like hippos do. including sexual assaults!

basically a group of naked men approach a group of naked women who are caring for their kids. the first man approaches and tries to fuck one of the women, who kills him with a rock. then the rest of the men run in and things get quite violent. the camera doesn't dwell or linger on the sexual assault but it's sure onscreen! anyway most of the kids are killed, and when the men come back, the women this time go to them willingly - except for one, who watches from deeper water, her child still alive.

i put this one in the genres of 'naked people do stuff' and 'what if humans did animal stuff'. it's funny that I've been doing this long enough now to start recognising that kind of pattern. i usually do like films to be pretty graphic, and this one was undeniably technically really well drawn and shot, it just was a lot to take in in the theatre there.

after the dance it was time for more Portugal stuff! this time we had films by the BAP animation collective. these were varied. by far the best ones were the three codirected by David Doutel and Vasco Sá, namely Soot (2014), Augur (2018) and Garrano (2022). Each of these depicts a moment of intense emotional drama - a man recalling how his brother died on a railway, a cattle farmer trying to handle his mystic cousin and prize bull as winter closes in, an abused boy and a garrano horse in an arson incident. These guys' eye for lighting, composition and texture is extraordinary, and these films are full of fantastic animated acting in a semi-realist style and incredibly strong sound design. I loved all three.

The other three films in this block were more abstract in general. Purbleboy is full of inventive animation, but I found its trans allegory kind of clumsy. The Sounds From The Drawers is a neat musical stop motion piece using a huge variety of objects. Drop by Drop was initially described as being about desertification, but I think they actually meant desertion, since it's about the last four inhabitants of a largely abandoned village, unified by the image of the Careto, a festival character who's like a kind of masked demon guy - the guy introducing these films demonstrated to us how the masked men sidle up to women and dance to 'initiate the sexual encounter' or something like that. In this case though he was not having sex, just gathering up the four inhabitants on a floating island as they lament the situation. I didn't really connect with this one, honestly.

After that... I had sushi, and tried to get into the opening ceremony, but no luck. I did get to chat with some animators and students and we all ended up going to Café des Artes in a big group, so I got to have a nice chat with some Americans, all sheltering under the canopy! I showed some people the Little Witch film and they liked it, so that's definitely a shot in the arm.

tomorrow the festival really gets going. I can't wait.

[shiroandblack]

An unsolicited thought-vomit on the manhwa; A Stepmother's Märchen.

I love it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

This is one of those rare manhwas where the art is as excellent as the storyline. I will be approaching this as someone who has only read the manhwa and not the novel.

Some criticism I've heard of is that it's too heavy for some people and that it's slow at the beginning. I honestly think that's mostly because the political intrigue is a main plot instead of a side-quest to the romance. So at the beginning, the author and artist was definitely laying down the seeds for all of the things currently happening in the manga. The political intrigue is well done as well, it's not everyone vying for power like in asoiaf but a certain group of people who would definitely benefit from gaining more power like Theobald, the Crown Prince, and the Church (Cardinal Richelieu).

It's also addresses class difference through Nora and his friends. Nora as the highest of nobility is very privileged in terms of material wealth and social status compared to his friends who are humble townspeople. Nora himself has genuine care and relationships with them and while not "relatable" they can get on easily. This all comes to a head when they decide to go to Nora's house (more like castle) and that's when they're fully confronted by the fact that Nora is not like them at all. I completely understand the bitterness of one of his friends (the blond one) when he decided to end their friendship, because he has a point. The defense from the other friends that Nora's grandfather and father are heroes who fought valiantly in a war, is contrasted by Blondie's (I'm sorry, I can't remember his name) remark that his father fought valiantly in the war too, his father gave up his profession and livelihood and came back with an injury that debilitated his ability to do things like before. And where is the appreciation for that? Compared to Nora's family who are lauded as heroes and probably received things like land/titles from the emperor simply because they are nobility. Nora is angered when Albrecht (his father) tells him about the confrontation with his friends, to which Albrecht says that he shouldn't be hanging out with them in the first place. In the perspective of his friends, it's frankly insulting for Nora to wear less-fine clothes and hang around them (pretending to be them in a way) even though Nora has always been honest about his identity as a noble to them but they have never been confronted with that reality until they visited Nuremberg Castle.

The fact that Shuri time-traveled seems to be more of a sidenote than something of actual relevance. By relevance, I mean to say that she died horribly in her first life but she isn't really looking for revenge. She's looking to secure the Neuchwanstein kids' futures and also she genuinely wants a bond with them that she didn't have in her first life because ultimately, Shuri wants to love and to be loved. As much as I love villainess manhwa, I also love manhwa where the characters just want to happily live their lives.

Speaking of happily living their lives, I've seen Ohara getting hate for wanting to marry Jeremy for power/security. I think as a child who witnessed her mother being the love of her father's life, only to be discarded when her beauty waned to the point she died alone in her rooms affected her very deeply of course. Her mother straight up tells Ohara to not marry for love but for security, because love can fade but her title as the lady of the house will never and she's basically set for life and won't be as hurt as her mother was when her husband's love eventually fades. Ohara's dislike for Shuri at first is because of the power Shuri seems to hold over Jeremy. Ohara doesn't need to be the number one woman in Jeremy's life, she only requires him to treat her as such so she will not be degraded or belittled like her mother was. Her father seems to be very open with his affairs, considering one of his mistresses made the decision to 'introduce' herself to Ohara in a very public ball with the intention to humiliate her. Ohara doesn't want her or her marriage to be the subject of public scrutiny and while Jeremy's affection for Shuri in their first life was not obvious I think to the casual viewer, Ohara as someone who knows Jeremy and his ticks could probably see that easily. Her request for Shuri not to attend the wedding in their first life was a way for her to guarantee that they will appear as the 'perfect' couple in the eyes of society, because then Jeremy won't be distracted by Shuri. Also, the blame put on her because Shuri was murdered because she didn't come to the wedding is mind-blowing. Ohara was a 16/18 year old young woman trying to secure herself, she didn't plan Shuri's murder or something. In their first life, Shuri was going to get murdered either way whether she went to the wedding or not because the Church decided they were going to kill her and nothing Ohara said/did was ever going to change that because this 16/18 year old girl was not in on the plot to get Shuri killed at all.

I also really enjoyed the way the romance was written. I personally do not think that Jeremy's feelings for Shuri are not incestuous as Shuri is only 2 years older than him and she has never tried to position herself as a mother to him despite being his stepmother. As for the sibling incest vibes? Shuri considers Jeremy as something of a younger brother, but I don't think Jeremy has ever considered Shuri as his older sister/sister. One might argue that it's because he calls her 'sister', but in a lot of cultures (including my own) a girl who is older than you but with not much of an age gap between you guys, whether you are related to her or not is called 'sister/elder sister'. This is why Nora, who Shuri very much has romantic feelings for, also calls her 'sister' at least in the translations I have read.

Theobald's feelings for Shuri on the other hand? Now that's some mommy issues right there. I could go on about this boy, but I'm not going to because he deserves his own post. I'm not unpacking that can of worms just yet because then I'll have to unpack the can of worms that is Ludovica.

Honestly, I can't wait for the second season and for me to binge it.

[ssaalexblake]

To date, the Most absurd attempted slam against Yaz i've seen in fandom was somebody comparing her to Rose and saying Rose's arc was much more hashtag!feminist and better bc Rose didn't Need the Doctor at all. Girl boss girl power girl whatever.

You do get that like. Rose's entire arc is founded upon the fact that she Did, in fact, Need the Doctor to get out of the place she was stuck in bc she was working class and had literally no other way to get out of the estate? And that while she was, imo, being pretty awful when she told Ricky and her mum that she was just Better than this life (the same sentiment could have been addressed without it being insulting to them) the whole entire point is that that life is what she's stuck with without the Doctor? And that that's Bad?

If you're gonna be a Rose stan you could at least learn the tiniest bit about her arc. People stanning her for being the sassy girl from the estate without bothering to examine the nuance of that double edged sword. The empathy she has for the working class in her adventures is literally because she IS them and she knows how shit it is. There is a line between liking how 'real' she is and making her the noble poor while also somehow managing to forget that being poor, you know, Sucks. And they're portraying it sucking.

Anyway, Rose needed the Doctor and that is the foundation of her entire arc and yes you CAN and probably Should examine her needing a man to escape her life as a very real world mirror to women having to marry up to have any kind of social advancement. Feminist stories can, in fact, portray women with little to no agency as a way to make a point about social injustice.

Anyway, Yaz's and Rose's arcs have very few similarities. They may have a few similar characteristics, and may have bad taste romantically (sorry doctor) but their arcs explore very different things that aren't directly comparable in many ways beyond the love stories.

[mamamittens]

How to (try to) escape a yandere in One Piece

Okay, so an old ask keeps popping up in my head so I might as well address it semi formally and out loud, yeah?

The problem with One Piece characters as yanderes is that the world is so batshit nearly every character could canonically be yandere as it stands. And you'd be fucked several times over a majority of the time.

Safest yanderes to escape from?

Your average civilians with little to no 'bigger' friends. I'm talking folks like Makino. Maybe they know someone that would be willing to help but the distance and relative difficulty getting a hold of them gives you an amazing headstart and without a lot of evidence you can safely assume you're getting away baring terrible luck. Average fishmen and mermaids, as well as minks or any other more exotic species counts here too with the added benefit that they can't afford to travel in certain areas without being sold as slaves (as terrible as it is).

Tricky but maybe not impossible?

Average marine and pirate. Your small fry background characters not imbued with special abilities or strong devil fruit powers. They could get a leg up by allying themselves with a stronger marine/pirate just sadistic/amused enough to entertain their crush to track you down but it's unlikely they'll put all their resources into it. Marines could put a bounty on your head, Which makes things more difficult, but unless they can get enough sway they're basically just getting you arrested and locked away out of their reach. Which if you ran away you probably won't see too much of a problem with. More well connected members of other species are also here as long as they're small fry that can't quite overpower more... Greedy interests.

Yikes my guy, I think you might be screwed here.

Smaller pirate crews/captains with a good amount of heft to their name but not really warlord or yonko status. As well as Marines under more unhinged superior officers that like them or can be convinced how important it is you're 'rescued'. Like, Coby or the Hearts pirates before they allied with Luffy and co. There are still options, they're probably busy with more pressing matters than the apple of one of their member's eyes (though the captain is another question) so you can probably get a good distance away. With enough dedication you might even succeed at disguising yourself forever. World's a big place but... If they spot you once it's unlikely you'll get the chance to run away again. So uh... Make it count yeah?

RIP to you, the clock is ticking and I hope brief freedom was worth it.

Uh, about any of the big pirate crews and I'd say warlords, admirals and up, as well as yonkos go here. This includes the Strawhats but double cause they're tenacious and very willing to help each other out with a lot of friends to help do it. While not... Strictly impossible to get away or even necessarily impossible to stay 'gone' you're going to need some big strings to pull it off. I'm talking fade away to obscurity on a random island in bum-fuck-nowhere-(insert random blue here) kinda gone. And travel in OP in a right bitch so you better be quick and determined. Or at least faster than your yanderes' fastest friend. Certainly don't run to known friends, unknown allies, or any family no matter how removed.

Possible escape routes? Deep and secretly with rival crews/organizations and hope they don't learn about it cause they won't give a shit about wrecking hell to get to you then. Amazon Lily if you're a woman and hope it doesn't get out cause unless Boa Hancock is also yandere for you, she likely won't risk her whole island your one person. And I wouldn't recommend it if your yandere is Luffy cause then you're either dead or just going right back to his side. If you're running from a marine, world noble, or celestial dragon the Revolutionary Army is a pretty good bet. Just hope tricky politics doesn't mean you get cut loose too (or an RA member gets a little too fond of you as well). Reverse if your yandere is part of the RA and hope they don't manage to track you down with their information network.

Are you sure you actually got away or is this just a game of cat and mouse for them?

If the yandere is strong and capable of independent travel under their own power they probably go here. Jinbe, Marco, Ace, (a few others with powers or devil fruits that make traversing the seas alone not only possible but a breeze) and probably highest ranking Marines. Even without using allies and friends your odds are getting dicey. How you escaped is a miracle and unlikely to happen twice. I'm not even sure you actually got away unnoticed to start with. This might be a 'game' to teach you how impossible it is to leave the yandere in question. The moment you're in danger (possibly just after it if they're sadistic) or exhausted and pathetic they'll sweep in and carry you back 'home'.

With an incredible amount of luck you could get away. But if they got this far in OP they're probably hella stubborn and determined. So even as the years go by, they won't forget you. But they'll sure as hell remember what you did. One wrong move... One bad stroke of luck... And that's it. If even a friend of a friend sees you and opens their mouth, you're liable to come back home to see them chilling in your living room scowling at the lackluster accommodations. They probably won't understand why you ran away.

But they'll certainly put in the work to make you understand why you never should have left.

The 'X' factor that may make it better or worse when you try and leave.

Naturally, depending on their temperament, they may take your leaving.... Better? A little? Delusional will convince themselves you were just so scared! You didn't understand! This of course adds a bit of desperation to their actions and may lead to more severe restrictions until you get it through your silly head that you're safer with them. It does mean that they won't check the more 'dangerous' escape routes first because there's no way you really know what you're doing... This train of thought won't last long though. More sadistic yanderes will relish the excuse for punishment--arguably its more important than ever that you disappear really well because retrieval won't be a gentle process. Level headed yanderes will likely think through your actions. Might even understand... But except for very rare circumstances, you're not likely to just be let go. They need you... Just like you need them (and you'll understand eventually that they're right).

One Piece is just the definition of 'the world feels a hell of a lot smaller when it counts'. The only real barriers are politics and the sea. So if they can bypass one or both your escape routes dwindle quickly. Lack of communication between islands only goes so far when there's a lot of movement between them. And a clever enough pirate can abuse the system to locate you faster than you think.

By all means you should strive for freedom but... It's better to be mindful about how far you'll need to go once you realize the situation you're in before acting recklessly. If you were caught once you can be caught again.

And if uh... You 'left' with something you better hope they didn't know about it beforehand. I don't see that going over well. Just... Add a little timer to your escape plan cause they probably had more eyes on you than you think.

[nihiltism]

ok so while my ds is getting sand poured into it at alarming rates I'm thinking about how jrpgs in specific have a really weird desync with How Important Death Is. like some address it better than others but it very frequently happens where if you take a step back youll go "am I wild or is everybody just like, Really down with murder in this game". and consequences for said murder, especially in a characterization sense but even just actual physical consequences, don't really happen? unless it's a vehicle for conflict but like. when it is a vehicle for conflict it feels weird because why are These Guys actually taking the fact we killed somebody in broad daylight seriously and coming after us for it while all the other npcs and even the main party took it like it was another saturday evening

see I Think where the issue lies is in the fact that everything is in its own little world when you're in a battle? like. when you fight an enemy and you get leather out of it it's seen as something the enemy Drops and not. their hide. when you defeat a character in a battle it does just feel like you Defeated them. unless there's dialogue afterwards that says otherwise you don't even mentally assume you killed em you just wounded them enough to make them flee or dissolve or whatever. and it's Weird to just. have that assumption there because for a lot of games it really isn't clear if you're killing them or defeating them !!

that last point is extra important when you have the specific brand of Skittish Hero / Noble Hero Who Doesn't Kill People / Rational Hero In Way Over Their Head or whatever where you really don't think they Would kill a guy just to get them out of the way. in that case it's REALLY weird because it's hardly brought up. even if it Is brought up that that guy Sure Did Die the mc doesn't tend to actually have a reaction ??? and I don't know why this is ???? like Any written reaction would be more interesting than nothing even if the guy doesn't have a full on crisis about taking another life having them go "oh shit, The Consequences" would be nice. really anything except (oh cool we can advance the plot now).

I will also mention that Some deaths do matter plot wise but very frequently what makes them matter is how much of it is linked to an in game battle I think. if your mc just finishes a fight and comes back to the overworld and the guy's Disappeared or Dissolved or whatever it means they don't matter. if the guy's still around after the fight it means it's more significant, especially if they're still alive but wounded or Really Shaken Up. because this clears up the indistinguishable line between if a battle is lethal or not and if a character decides to deal a finishing blow now it's Way more telling of their character. even though this is basically the same thing that happened in the (killed In A Battle) scenario. just with more dialogue. I will also mention that the person who deals the finishing blow is Rarely Ever that good hearted protagonist and often they'll even go :0 at somebody else committing a murder despite them instigating and helping murder quite a few people. just. In Battle. so it's less bad. I guess.

this is leaving out the fact that in party deaths are often a Major Major Blow because like. ok that's fair. that's A Guy You Knew that's understandable. anyway I don't really know where I'm going with this I just think it's interesting how in these types of games death can swap from not mattering at all to mattering a Lot and if u don't think about it too hard u don't even question it. I'll probably be putting some examples in the tags idk

[therealslimsanji]

I... I really want to cry. I just read on instagram what could be the most chilling comment ever.

This person basically said "The only cause I care about is Palestine. Talking about casualties without mentioning palestinians is worthless".

I'm mexican and currently living in Mexico. Last year a strong hurricane reduced Acapulco to rubble. Finding piles of dead immigrants all cramped up into trailers or other tight spaces has happened more times than it should. Drug cartels will execute entire communities just because "they felt like it". I still remember the pain of Maricela Escobedo (there's a documentary about her story on Netflix, but it's not for the faint of heart). Maybe these ocurrances are nothing next to a genocide. But there is pain, suffering and death.

I was happy with Taz's statement. It felt sincere to me because I interpreted that he addressed all the injustice in the world, including my country's. What I understood is that a tragedy is a tragedy no matter how small or big, and they all deserve to be addressed. We all deserve help. But some people wanted his statement to be only about them.

I really, REALLY wanted to respond to this one commenter: "oh so then you don't care about the indigenous people in Mexico who are either murdered or forced to leave their homes without nothing? I should assume then that you are a racist". You know? Apply the same logic they used to harrass Taz, twist their words, expose them to others as "not-so-saint-and-noble-after-all". But I couldn't. I just don't have the heart. Besides they would probably answer with something like "yeah but at least there's not a genocide as big as Palestine's in your country".

I cry for my people. I cry for the people of palestine. I cry for those that are going through similar tragedies.

But this one commenter, and maybe many other like them... they do not cry for the rest of us.

You absolutely should have! Because it IS the same logic. Death is death. Suffering is suffering. Innocents are INNOCENTS. If I see their comment on Instagram then I might just say your reply for you. Just to get their reaction. I understand a natural disaster is very different from a deliberate genocide. But, as you were saying, the situation with the Cartel is still murder. And God KNOWS how many people the Cartel have COLLECTIVELY killed. I live in Texas and I worked with this manager who would go between Texas and Mexico a lot for medical procedures because they're cheaper for him in Mexico. We used to talk about the Cartel and the amount of people they've murdered while trying to come to America and what not.

But yeah you 100% should have played that reverse uno card on them.

[butleroftoast]

A collection of reasons the Skullduggans are the worst adventuring companions probably drawn up by Morris.

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House Skullduggan's attitude to less wealthy classes and families is conflicting. Skullduggans claim to represent the common person more than any other noble house, and certainly spend more time with them, even adopting their causes and plights as their own if it gives them something to fight about. On a personal level, however, an amount of unconscious condescension is baked into them by the nature of their upbringing. For example, they enjoy flaunting their wealth and dislike it when they're caught short financially. "Peasant" is a go-to descriptor for anything they consider cheap. They cannot get their head around facts of life for the downtrodden ("have they tried not being poor").

No matter how much a Skullduggan might want to empathise with the common man, they are brought up in such a privileged environment that they have no point of reference upon which to build.

-

Despite coming from a (usually) wealthy family and carrying enough gold with them, they will spend the group's collectively amassed funds first, without fail. They're buying this for the good of the group, right? Why should they be personally inconvenienced?

What's that? They're buying something for their exclusive use? Well, they're buying it during the adventure, so logically they should be allowed to use the money earned during said adventure. Anyway, it's still for the good of the group, because the alternative is a grumpy Skullduggan and nobody wants that. QED. If you don't like it, feel free to fight them over it.

-

-

"If you don't like it fight me" is how they end every argument, assuming their ludicrous rhetoric doesn't exhaust the other person into agreement first.

They're not completely stubborn. It is possible to change their mind in an argument. They will then argue just as vehemently for the opposing view, as if they had never altered their opinion. This is even more infuriating.

In their defence, the Marquis respects the privacy of their travelling companions -- not because they have morals, but because most of the time, they couldn't care less about other people's personal problems. Why bother pestering them with questions about themselves (boring) or rifling through their belongings (gross)?

Don't mistake this for privacy being sacrosanct, however. If they have a reason to pry, nothing will stop them. They're rich. That means they can do what they want.

Later, when the Marquis starts to consider their travelling companions as friends, they turn out to be surprisingly good at, if not listening or offering helpful advice, at least providing a welcome distraction. The catch: as they befriend people, it becomes obvious to even the most emotionally-obtuse that they have a myriad of issues themselves which they totally repress, only bringing them up as casual, flippant asides in conversation. They won't show any distress about their personal trauma, not even around the Twins, and always have on the cheerfully arrogant front, because otherwise they'd have to address their problems (gross and boring).

-

In a friendly, supportive camp setting, cooking duties are often shared around. Don't try to share them with a Skullduggan. Although they aren't totally useless around a campfire, since most of the family have had to survive in challenging military situations, they are more used to having servants or quartermasters prepare their meals. The Marquis also tends to be far too generous with supplies, wasting precious resources.

They like their food spicy, too. As a warm, sunny county, Scrantz produces a large number of hot vegetables and spices, which in turn are incorporated into common local dishes. Not only do Skullduggans have the tolerance this builds up among natives of Scrantz, but -- being who they are -- they can never turn down a challenge to eat spicy food. Your average, common adventurer may not be prepared for the level of heat they have grown accustomed to in their cooking.

-

No matter how long they've known their travelling companions, be it five months or five minutes, they will always pitch their tent in the very centre of the camp, probably in the hope that someone will challenge them on the decision and give them an excuse for a scuffle.

-

Even when the Marquis starts to become a better(ish) person, their base personality doesn't change that much. They still enjoy being loud and rowdy. They still get their kicks from winding people up. They still refuse to abandon the toxic challenging invigorating demands of their family. They just learn to appreciate the people who stick around in spite of this a little more.